The Curse of Nebti
by HorseLover200
Summary: Alexander O'Connell and little sister Elise take just after their parents; they're thrill seekers. They like to investigate Ancient Egyptian tombs and structures, looking for treasure and artifacts. Of course, one investigation takes a dark turn when they unlock the curse of two Ancient Goddesses with an eye on revenge.**I DO NOT OWN THE MUMMY OR ANY CHARACTERS BUT SOME OC**
1. An Ocean of Snakes - 1

**Okay, I know how you all love author's notes so here's a few before you start the story. :)**

 **-It's rated T for language and violence, and maybe some intense scenes**

 **-This story starts twenty years after the SECOND MOVIE (The Mummy Returns), and thus it is 1953 and Alexander O'Connell is 28. Now, we're going on this story as though the third movie NEVER happened. So anything that happened in the third movie, DO NOT expect it to show up here. I don't like the third movie, so I'm gonna pretend it never happened.**

 **-Sorry if this isn't completely up to par, I didn't have much to edit it. So, go into the story with mild expectations, and it won't disappoint.**

 **-Finally: ENJOY! Please read _AND_ review! :) Thanks guys. **

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Quiet hisses and whispers echoed around, bouncing against the stone walls and ricocheting back again. They warned and worried, telling the occupants of the tomb to leave, leave _now_ , this place was cursed and dangerous. Some spoke in Ancient Egyptian, others in old English, but they all said the same thing, and their voices got louder every step the man took towards the back wall. He could hear them, oh yes, he could hear them well, but he ignored them as though they were nothing more than a beggar on the street.

There was something on the wall that interested him, something he _really_ wanted to investigate. Besides, this wasn't the first time he'd been put into a dangerous situation for exploring. At eight, he'd been kidnapped by an Ancient Egyptian mummy priest and the dead guy's reincarnated girlfriend. At nineteen, he and his parents had awakened a very _angry_ Ancient Egyptian ruler, and they were all nearly killed - well his mum killed _again_ \- before they sent that guy right back to hell. Just five years ago, he'd been trapped when a tomb caved in on him whilst he dug. The bottom line; this was _not_ his first risky adventure.

 _Closer, now, just a little closer._ Alex whispered in his head, eyes never leaving the object on the wall. Sand sizzled in his left ear, but he ignored that just as well as he had the voices. A scorpion snapped across the ground in front of his feet, then disappeared into the sand. Yet again, Alex ignored the sound. He was right there, so close to it, and he was just about to grab it when-

"O'CONNELL!"

Alex jumped around at the sound of someone screaming his name, irritation sweeping through him when he saw the woman running towards him from around a corner. He would have expressed such irritation, surely, if he didn't notice the look of absolute _terror_ on her face, and he knew it was time to run. By the time she arrived at his side, he was already turning to run, and they clasped hands tightly so not to lose one another. The sound of rushing water - so it seemed - came from behind them, and Alex put on a new burst of speed. If water got hold of them down here, that was the end, because this was a hole in the ground… _deep_ in the ground.

"What did you _do,_ Elise?" Alex shouted over the sound of the supposed water.

"I didn't do _anything_ , Alex! I accidentally fell on some ancient lever, but that's-"

"'On some ancient lever', you bloody idiot!"

"What's that for?" Elise snapped, nearly stopping to glare at him, but he dragged her along.

"We'll argue about this later, right now, let's go right!" Alex yelled, tugging her to the right and up a set of stairs.

When they reached the top, they both turned to see if the water would follow them up, but no water appeared. Instead, a wave of snakes and sand swallowed the entryway that the two had been standing in only moments before, and kept moving forward. As the wave went on, the snakes and sand came up about halfway of the stairs, but none reached the top. Alex watched in astonishment as the last of the snakes slithered behind, hissing and snapping their wide jaws. When the danger had passed, Alex's face lit up in a magnificent grin.

"That. Was. Fantastic!"

"Fan- Fa-" Elise closed her eyes and let out a long breath, pinching the bridge of her nose to calm down.

"Did you see that, Elise?! Bloody snakes! Wonderful, terrific, horrifying _snakes_! I can't believe it! How'd they live for so long? Were they just mating and birthing for thousands and thousands of years? My goodness, they must have been eating _each other_! And that makes me think… just how many were there in the first place? For them to be so many still, after so many years! Elise, don't you see how amazing this is?"

"Amazing, Alex? Amazing?" Elise growled, looking at him with a narrowed glare. "An ocean of snakes just tried to kill us, and this is somehow amazing?"

"It was an ancient booby trap, don't you see? That lever, it was meant to look like a door lever, so gold seekers and thieves, they'd use it to 'open the treasure door', but instead would be killed immediately…" his grin widened a little bit. "or slowly."

Elise rolled her eyes in disgust.

"I don't understand, I just don't. Mum says you used to be just like her. Civilized…" she let out another long sigh. "And now you're as stupid as dad and Uncle John."

"Well," Alex gave her a chuck on the chin as he passed by, still grinning childishly. "when mum started fawning all over you, I had more time to hang out with those two."

"I'll have to have a talk with mum about that then,"

"Oh, by the way, thanks a lot for pulling that lever _just_ as I was about to get my treasure. I was this close -" at this, he held his fingers barely apart in measurement. "- and you go and pull a random lever in an ancient tomb with mummies and curses. How brilliant was that, eh?"

"Hey, we've all done it, alright. And I told you it was an accident! Don't you get angry with me!"

"I'm not angry, Elise, I'm positively livid. That was what I came down here for, that thing. And after being so close to it, now I've lost it. Who knows what happened to it when those snakes came by. The wave could have…smashed it! Or…or…carried it along with them? Damn it!" Alex cursed, kicking one of the stone walls around them and letting out a yelp. He glared angrily at his hurt foot, as though this whole thing was its fault.

"God, Alex, why don't we just go back down now the snakes are gone?"

"No. We can't today. We've got to wait until tomorrow now."

"Why?"

"Elise, how many times have we done this? We just have to give the snakes time to clear out."

"That's ridiculous. They've all gone that way, we're going completely-"

"Have you ever heard mum and dad's stories? Last time they stayed in an Ancient Egyptian structure after a booby trap was set off, they woke up one of the most dangerous creatures to ever exist - _twice -_ and nearly got themselves killed, lots. So, tell me again why you _want_ to stay?"

"Maybe you've still got some of mum's smarts up there," Elise teased, ruffling her older brother's hair and turning towards another set of stairs that led to an exit. Alex was just going to follow her when he noticed something on the wall he hadn't seen before. It was on the far wall, a line of ancient Egyptian words, and he felt automatically drawn to it.

"Alex, what are you doing? Didn't you want to leave?" Elise grumbled, noticing that he was going in the wrong direction.

Alex ignored her, stopping in front of the wall and staring at the words. Half of the saying was clearly chiseled into the wall, while the other half was scraped away and unreadable. He looked at it curiously, tilting his head one way to another, trying to figure out what to do about this. Elise called his name again, sounding impatient now, but he still ignored her. Something about these words intrigued him, told him that they were important, maybe it was the fact that the first half of the phrase was part of a warning.

"Those who pass…" he whispered, running a hand over the words carefully.

"Those who pass what?" Elise questioned, appearing next to him. Alex shrugged, trying to see if he could decipher the rest of the words, but they were too chiseled.

"I have no idea. The rest is scratched off."

"It probably says 'those who pass will get attacked by lots and lots of snakes', you think?"

"No. They wouldn't _warn_ you of a booby trap," Alex muttered with a roll of his eyes. "This place is cursed, we already know that, but this must be warning us about it. Perhaps there's a special box or book or stone that unleashes the curse?"

"You don't think the lever-"

"Elise, will you please stop being ridiculous. The lever was for the snakes, and that's that. The booby trap has been used, it's gone. Get over it already," Alex hissed, eyes flashing with frustration.

"Whatever. I'm leaving, because this place creeps me out. Good-bye,"

"I'm going to go back down,"

"What? Alex…weren't you just the one to tell me we shouldn't do that?"

"Yeah, well, this has been curious. I want to see what it's talking about,"

"So you are going to _try_ and unlock a dangerous, possibly life-threatening, curse on us? Are you even listening to yourself right now?"

"Are you coming or not, Lis?" Alex asked her, going straight for the stairs leading further down into the tomb. Elise grunted in frustration, took two swift glances at the entrance longingly, then bounded after her brother, grumbling the whole way.

"S'pose it'd be terrible of me to leave you all alone, wouldn't it?"

"Thought you'd come 'round," Alex chuckled, bumping her shoulder playfully, and then taking the lead.

Alex led the pair straight towards that wall - and more specifically the thing on the wall - that he'd been so focused on before Elise had set off the trap. He'd never gone on an adventure like this on his own before. Usually, he had his good old mum and dad right by his side, but now the folks were retired, it was all him - and Elise of course. An excited tingle ran through him, followed directly by nervousness. What if he couldn't save the world like his parents? _Oh, don't work yourself up. The chances of this being a life-threatening, world-killing curse is 1 in a million…or a thousand…or hundreds based on past event…This isn't helping. Just don't worry about it, Alex._

They walked on slowly, not wanting to trigger any other traps, looking earnestly for something that might turn out to be really dangerous.

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 **And yes, Alex does have a sister now. She is nine years younger than him, so in this story she is currently 19 years of age. :)**


	2. She Who Consumes Death - 2

**Hope you guys enjoy chapter two! And, note; no reviews, no update! So, please READ AND _REVIEW_. ENJOY :)**

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Every bump, every noise, made the pair jump as they crept along the dusty passages. Alex could just imagine being alive thousands of years ago, walking among the Egyptians, carrying remains to be buried or treasure to be hidden. He could just imagine the place in its former glory. His eyes wandered around aimlessly, looking but not seeing the object he had formerly been looking for. Now, Alex was lost in the tomb. There were people bustling around, speaking a language he was so familiar with, talking of a Pharaoh who had previously passed, or a wrongdoer who would never enter this palace. Some of them spoke of Ancient Egyptian Gods and Goddesses, enthusing about their good luck, worrying about their bad. Alex was lost, and would have stayed lost had Elise not grabbed his elbow sharply, making him wince.

"Wh-"

"Shh!" she hissed, dragging him into a small cubby and pressing tightly against the back wall.

"What is it?" Alex whispered, leaning forward to try and see what had spooked her.

Elise just shook her head, putting a finger to her lips to shush him, pointing to the right, the same direction they'd been heading only moments before. Alex took the hint; there was someone else in here with them, and it wasn't ancient spirits warning them away. So, carefully as he could, Alex slid up the side of the cubby and peered around the corner, hoping that the dirt in his hair camouflaged the sharp blonde color - or he'd definitely be spotted.

"I'm telling you, Garrett, they've already left!" a voice said loudly. Alex's eyes widened and he ducked behind the wall quickly.

"And I'm telling you they haven't. If they'd left, the damn camels would be gone. O'Connell's don't ride nothin' _but_ camels, the strange bastards." another voice piped up, gruffer and sounding irritated.

"Well, if they're here, why ain't we found them yet?" the first voice demanded.

"It's a giant Egyptian tomb, numskull, we only been here a few hours, no way we coulda found them yet."

"This place gives me chills, Garrett, I don't wanna look no more."

"Alright, Jerry, leave then. But have fun findin' your way out alone." Garrett snarled. The voices were closer now, and when Alex sneaked a look around his corner, the two men had appeared in the passageway.

"You're a dick," Jerry retorted, looking anxiously over his shoulder, but continuing to follow Garrett along.

Garrett didn't reply, but he did roll his eyes, and Alex jumped backwards in the sand when the two men passed the cubby he was in with Elise. They didn't seem to notice it was there, and the sound Alex's shoes made in the sand didn't seem to bother them, though Jerry did send another scared look behind him. In a few minutes, the sound of the men's footsteps had died off and Alex let out a long breath. Elise looked scared, her eyes wide, still pressed tightly against the back wall.

"Come on, Elise, what's wrong?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They want to kill us, Alex. We're O'Connell's, the best treasure hunters…You know… _Ever_ , and they want us dead. They want to find us finding something, kill us, take the treasure, and get rich." Elise rambled, staring ahead of her. "I knew we should have left, I just knew it. We're so stupid. They're going to kill us. They're going to hear us snooping about, kill us, and then we'll be the spirits haunting this godforsaken place. Oh my god, this isn't right. I'm only just turning twenty this year, I've so much to live for!" Alex could see she was becoming frantic now, and he grabbed her shoulders briskly, looking directly into her eyes.

"Calm. Down." he insisted. She let out a shaky breath, staring at him, still looking utterly frightened. "We are _not_ going to die, we're not even going to _almost_ die. Well, not by those idiots anyway."

"But Alex-"

"They won't find us." Alex assured her. "Look, we'll leave for tonight. We'll come back in a few days when they don't-"

Alex cut off, hearing a sharp whistle in his ears. Elise was staring at him in confusion, wondering why he had stopped talking, and Alex knew at once she hadn't heard the sound. He released his hold on her and shifted out of the cubby and back into the passageway. Ahead of him, glinting though there was no light around it, was the object. It was sticking out of the wall, shining, seeming to be _inviting_ Alex over. There was another whistle in his ear, and he headed towards the object. The whistling noise got louder and more persistent as he neared the object, but when he stopped in front of it and one hand reached out to grab it, all noise stopped. The whispering spirits shushed, slithering animals froze, it seemed as though time itself had slowed down, and then it was in his hand.

The object Alex had been so insistent on having was a simple stone, but it shone brightly in the dark tomb. It had an image carved on one side of a vulture standing high and proud with a cobra slithering around the vultures' talons, it's neck spread out and flattened, mouth open to strike. On the other side was an inscription, written in hieroglyphics, and Alex had to bring the stone close to his face to read it properly. Without thinking, he spoke the words aloud.

" _'The vulture who consumes death and spits out life and the cobra who slows time with her neck and brings justice with her bite. Nebti will consume death and bring justice to the living.'_ How interesting," he murmured, flipping the stone back over and staring at the two animals.

"Alex," Elise called, her voice sounding choked, and he looked back at her to see what was wrong, and nearly dropped the stone.

Holding Elise was Garrett, one arm wrapped securely around her waist, crinkling the beige jacket she was wearing, and the other arm curled on her shoulder, his hand holding a knife tight against her throat. Alex's eyes were drawn to his sister's midriff, where her black tank top was visible, and a dark spot was appearing slowly around a slit in the fabric. _Bastards!_ he thought angrily. Jerry was standing to the left of the pair, one hand gripping the torch, the other pointing a gun straight at Alex's chest.

"Gentlemen," Alex greeted with a sly grin. Elise squeaked, her chest heaving in fear. Alex glanced down at the ground, catching a flash of black heading up Elise's bare legs, nearly in her shorts. It was just a beetle, but Alex knew a way to twist this into escaping.

"Look here, O'Connell," Garrett snarled, and Alex snapped his gaze up. "Give us that shiny thing o' yours, now, and we'll let ya both go."

"Will you now?" Alex smiled, looking between the two men. "That's awfully nice of you."

"Yea, we're a real catch, now hand it over!" Garrett snapped. "Just throw it there, now, on the groun'."

"Before I do," Alex began, making the quickest glance to his left, trying to make a game plan in about the two point seconds he had to do so. There was a passage leading right just beyond him, if he and Elise could make it there before the thieves turned the corner, they'd have a fair chance. "I thought you'd like to know, there's a scarab crawling up my sister's leg."

Elise's eyes widened and she screamed, throwing up a leg behind her and kicking Garrett away - who had been confused and loosened his hold - and then Elise flew forward, swatting earnestly at her legs, still screaming. Garrett and Jerry were looking at the sand frantically, obviously thinking that if there was one scarab…There would be others. Alex took this opportunity, grabbed Elise's arm roughly, and pulled her around the corner. They would have been in pitch darkness if not for the stone in his hand. Alex led his sister down the passage he had pinpointed earlier, and - luckily - there was another one not far off.

"GET THEM JERRY!" Garrett screamed, and Alex pulled Elise down yet another passage. By now, they'd gone through a sort of maze, and before he knew it, they ended up right back where they had started. Thankfully, Garrett and Jerry were gone, but Alex could still hear them distantly.

"Alright, off we go then, time to leave." Alex told Elise, shoving her in the direction they needed to go.

"But the scarab, you have to get it out-"

"There's no scarab, just a beetle, you got it now, let's head out."

"That is _not_ clever, that is _very_ harsh!" Elise growled, but she ran anyways.

Alex ran closely behind her, sending glances over his shoulder whenever he could, until they had gone up about three levels and burst out of the tomb in the brisk night, both panting. Once they were safely on their camels and were leaving - quickly - Alex looked back down at the stone he'd managed to hold onto the whole way. There was something familiar about the two animals on the front, and that name in the message. ' _Nebti',_ he knew that name from _somewhere_ , he just couldn't make out from exactly where.

"Alex, I hope that stupid piece of rock is worth something. I'm bleeding, scared, and dirty, so if that turns out to be useless, I'm going to kill you." Elise snapped from his right. Alex just laughed, stuffing the stone into his bag and relaxing in his saddle.


	3. Giovanna Moretti - 3

**A/N: Newest chapter, and I hope it's a good one. Kind of a slow chapter, but it moves the story 'long, I promise. :) Please enjoy, and remember, no reviews, no update. Thanks. :D ENJOY AND REVIEW! :) **

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Alex, after returning to his hotel room in Luxor, set himself down in front of his suitcase and started rifling through the books he'd packed. There were at least twenty, all concerning Ancient Egypt, and all their different reigns. He had read these books at least ten times each, but going through them regularly was his pastime. Besides, he had to figure out what the hell this stone was, or it would drive him absolutely mad the rest of the night. He would get no sleep unless this puzzle was solved.

It took him an hour of researching to find what he was looking for. A book regarding some of the earliest Egyptian rulers and religion, and there they were. A picture of a vulture with a large cobra sliding around it's body and neck. The caption under the photo read _'Nebti'_ , and there was a short passage to the right explaining the two animals. After reading the information three times to be sure he remembered every word of it, Alex tossed the book back into his suitcase and hurried downstairs to the bar area, where he knew Elise would be. As suspected, she was sitting at the bar, giggling and leaning in towards a handsome, younger man.

"Elise," Alex greeted, sliding in between the two and sending the man a disgusted look. "We need to talk about what we found yesterday."

"Excuse me, pal, but we're talking here." the man grunted, standing up abruptly and making the stool fall backwards. Alex turned around to face him, sizing him up briefly, then shrugging.

"If you want me to force you to go, that's fine, but it's not generally the way I like to handle my problems," the man narrowed his eyes, balling up his fists, while Alex stayed calm in demeanor and stare.

"Whatever, man, it ain't worth it." the man grumbled, turning and stumbling off.

"Alex, why do you always ruin my fun?" Elise pouted, following him from the bar and to a secluded table in the back.

"Finding drunk American tourists in an Egyptian hotel isn't _'fun'_ , it's unsanitary,"

"What did you find, then?"

"This stone, it represents Nebti," Alex explained, showing it to her again. She took it from him and scanned it carefully from end to end.

"Who's Nebti? Some old Pharaoh or goddess or something?"

"Try two goddesses." Alex corrected. "They were sisters, actually. One of the them, the cobra there, her name's Wadjet, she represents Time, and some even say she represents Heaven and Hell, because she has both an evil and good side."

"And this bird?" Elise wondered.

"It's a vulture, and that's Nekhmet. She's the goddess of Death and Rebirth. She's much calmer than her sister. They were known to rule Lower and Upper Egpyt," Alex explained, becoming excited as he recounted the information to his sister.

"What's so important about them? And why was the rock glowing as it was?"

"That's what I don't know yet, but I'm working on it,"

"I bet it's a curse,"

"I agree. But until I find out more, don't get too worried,"

"Don't worry, we're O'Connells, we're better at killing cursed dead guys than anyone." Elise joked, rolling her eyes. Her gaze trailed away from Alex and after the guy from before, who was leaving the bar, maybe going back to his room. Alex let out a low growl-like sound in his throat.

"Don't even think about it, El. I'll stay with you all night if I have to," he warned.

"Fine, I'll go to my room and just sleep."

"Good. We have a long day tomorrow. We're going back to the tomb, I want to investigate some more." Alex grinned, standing up from the table.

"God, Alex, if you aren't the most annoying person in the world," Elise sighed, standing as well.

Alex went to leave, but just as he turned, he ran right into another person, who seemed to have just approached the table. The woman let out a yell and nearly fell into one of the guys with her, but Alex - with quick reflexes he'd gotten from good old dad - grabbed her wrist and kept her upright. The woman jerked her wrist free immediately, looking irate, brushing off her red vest and black skinny jeans. She had on white trainers, and her brown hair was tied back sloppily in a bun. After brushing herself off - because, as Alex jokingly thought, just seeing him made her clothes dirty - the woman straightened and let out a long breath.

"I'm sorry," Alex said, and he was surprised to find his words coming out slightly higher-pitched. "I didn't see-"

"That's fine," the woman snapped, huffing again then putting on a professional smile. "I'm Giovanna Moretti, and I couldn't help but to overhear what you were talking about."

"I think you could have helped it," Elise retorted, arms crossed, looking unimpressed. "We are all the way in the back."

"Yes, well, maybe I saw that stone and got intrigued."

"So you eavesdropped?" Alex smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. Giovanna straightened her shoulders again, looking defiant.

"I overheard."

"Well, whatever you did, you know, obviously. What about it?"

"Please, El, let's introduce ourselves first. No need to be rude," Alex smiled, looking between the two girls. "My name's Alex O'Connell, and this is my sister, Elise."

"O'Connell's?" one of the men whispered behind Giovanna.

"Indeed." Alex confirmed.

"Back to business, I have a proposition for you." Giovanna spoke up again, looking at Alex and ignoring Elise, who grumbled something under her breath.

"Go on,"

"I wanted to suggest we, possibly, work together. To find out what your rock means, that is."

"Why?" Alex asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Business. Split the commission, if there was to be one," Giovanna shrugged. Alex could tell by the way she looked away that wasn't the real reason she had asked, but he kept his mouth shut about it.

"And if there's no commission?"

"We'll have to set up another dig and find one,"

"I think that-"

"We'll have to talk about it," Elise interrupted, grabbing Alex roughly by the wrist and dragging him out of earshot of the three newcomers. "What are you doing?"

"Getting help, what are you doing?"

"No, no, no! You're letting the fact that she's good on the eyes influence your decisions. This is disaster to come, and you know it. There is no way we can do this!" Elise argued.

"I didn't even notice she was gorgeous," Alex shrugged. "Besides, we _need_ more people. Those two guys were going to kill us, Elise. If we had three extra people helping, that might not have almost happened. It's only sense. Besides, we've got plenty of money, it's more about the discovery and adventure anyways."

"This is a family business, Alex,"

"It's not a business, it's a hobby," Alex winked, brushing by her and back towards Giovanna before she could answer. Elise let out a groan of frustration, but followed him back to the trio.

"We'll agree. Done deal. Meet us at the tomb around, let's see, six?"

"Six? That early?" Giovanna questioned, looking skeptical.

"Yep. We usually start earlier, but for your sake, six will do."

"For _our_ sake?" Giovanna looked offended.

"Yes. Good night," Alex smiled again, waved, and left the bar without another word. He glanced back once and saw Elise was walking behind him, looking disgruntled, but he didn't stop to ask why. She would be just fine. Now, Alex needed to do some more reading, to prepare for the adventure tomorrow.


	4. She Who Brings Justice - 4

**A/N: Hello lovelies! The newest installment of Curse of Nebti, obviously! :) HOPE YOU ENJOY! :) I would REALLY appreciate reviews, thank you so much! Now, please do ENJOY!**

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The following day, at six exactly, Alex slid off of his camel and - mysterious rock in hand - stared at the horizon, waiting for his new companions. Elise was still atop her camel, leaned back, resting and staring at the sky as it began to lightly gradually. She hadn't spoken to him the whole ride over, and he suspected she was pouting, which was fine with him. If she wanted to throw her fit, that would mean more concentration time for him. After fifteen minutes of no one showing up, Alex began to get restless. He wanted to be down there already, looking and disrupting ancient history, but where was Giovanna? Just when Alex was about to tell Elise they were through waiting and would enter the tomb alone, he saw the outline of three figures peak over a sandy dune in the distance. It seemed the three had decided to bring horses.

"Idiots," Elise muttered, and Alex turned to see that she had sat up to see. "Obviously don't visit Egypt enough to realize camels work better,"

"Don't be so bitter, El," Alex replied, moving around his camel to help her down. She swatted him away, glaring and heading straight for the tomb. "Don't go in alone!"

"I won't, _Dad_ ,"

Alex chuckled, turning back to the three figures approaching on their horses. It wasn't long before they were stopped in front of Alex, looking grim and weary. Mornings were most obviously not what the trio were used to. Alex figured Giovanna was used to just getting up and looking around whenever she wanted to.

"Good morning," Giovanna greeted unhappily, dismounting her stallion and throwing her pack on.

"You're late," Alex replied.

"We got caught up-" at this, Giovanna glared at the man to her left.

"I'm not sure you introduced us to your servants,"

"We're not her servants, we're her guards." the man to the right grunted.

"You an Italian princess or something? Needing guards," Elise piped up, looking skeptical.

"I hired them, because digging in Egyptian tombs is dangerous. Wretched thieves attack, and it's nice to have guards," Giovanna explained. "This is Coda and Lavet,"

"Very nice. Are we ready to get started?"

"Whenever you are, you're the leader here,"

"Excellent," Alex smiled and turned, passing his sister and entering the tomb slowly.

The first part of the tomb was a long tunnel heading down, steep and made of red stone. The walls were stone, aged, and only showing the faintest signs of the delicate drawings that used to cover them. Sand slithered in from crevices above their heads, making hissing noises when it hit the ground, the sound growing fainter the deeper they got. There was the point of the tunnel that the sand no longer made an impact, as the spirits began to speak. Alex knew what it was, he was used to it, but it was obvious his new companions did not find this so casual, as they became paranoid.

"What is that sound? Who is that? Are there others in here with us?" Coda whispered.

 _How very brave,_ Alex said to himself, grinning.

"They are just the dead, warning us that this place is dangerous," Elise called back, not minding the way her voice echoed around the tunnel.

Finally, the tunnel opened into a large cavern. Across the room was the message that Alex had noticed last time, and scattered about were materials that Alex and Elise had left behind. Things that - if stolen - would not cause such a fuss. There were digging tools, a phony treasure map, some dead rats, and finally an old stool. Alex didn't even slow down in the room, but went straight through it and down the stairs to the corridor that he and Elise had almost been killed in…twice. Now they were nearly to the spot where Alex had retrieved the stone, and that's when he slowed his pace.

"What's wrong?" Elise whispered, leaning close so the other three wouldn't hear.

"I don't know if you noticed," he replied, keeping his voice low as well. "but those guys yesterday never left."

"How do you know?"

"Their stuff was still outside,"

Elise didn't reply, but Alex felt her stiffen beside him. He couldn't blame her. The thought of what was in here that had caught the two men was a bit terrifying, especially since he had stolen an ancient prophecy rock. There were two outcomes of this realization: the thieves were alive and exploring, or they were murdered by something. Alex was willing to bet everything he had on the latter. The three they had inducted into the crew last night were completely silent the whole time, and Alex had a sneaking suspicion that this was their first tomb. Though they had seemed excited at the prospect of treasure, their attitudes in the dark space made it clear they had not done this often, or maybe not even at all.

"Alright," he said, stopping once they entered a small cave. On the wall opposite was a painting of a man screaming and holding up his arms - in Egyptian style of course - in terror. There were small holes in the body of the painted man, some were filled with what looked like blue gold, while the others were empty and black. Alex knew exactly what that 'blue gold' was, and he didn't desire touching it.

"What are we looking for exactly?" Lavet asked, looking around the cave and swishing his torch around for the light to carry.

"Anything that resembles treasure, I suppose. Elise and I have a different priority, but if all you three want is the gold, go for it. We'll stick together anyway,"

"What about these here?" Coda questioned. Alex looked up from the others, noticing Coda had approached the blue gold encrusted wall, hand up to pick one of the golden pieces off the wall. Elise let out a small gasp, and Alex jumped forward, stopping Coda's arm.

"Don't touch those," he warned.

"Why? This looks like-"

"Blue gold, yes, we know," Elise told him, coming up beside of Alex. "But it's not,"

"What is it then?"

"Scarabs,"

"Scarabs?" Giovanna had now wandered over, inspecting the wall curiously.

"Yes. Ancient Egyptian killing machines," Alex explained, his gaze fixing carefully on Giovanna, captivated by the way the torch fire glinted off her hair.

"But this man looks as though he cries in victory,"

"He isn't," Alex assured the group, snapping himself out of his reverie. "This man here is screaming in horror, his flesh being eaten away slowly by the scarabs."

"Romantic," Elise breathed in his ear, smirking and turning from the wall. Alex gave her a sharp look, but she didn't notice.

"That sounds horrible!" Lavet exclaimed, looking as though he'd just seen a mummy eating a burger.

"If there's only one of them," Elise piped up. "it'll crawl into your skin and move around inside of you. Then, it goes to your head and causes you to go absolutely _mad_ , and eventually you'll bash your head in."

Giovanna and her guards looked at Elise in disgust, and Alex had to hide the laugh that came out, wondering to himself how these three ever got into the treasure-hunting game. To be so disgusted by something that they are speechless…Not really a quality to have when searching through Ancient Egyptian glories. Typically, these places were dangerous and unleashed ancient curses or evil spirits. He was about to respond when he noticed something unusual.

The three newest members were not speechless of disgust, but were frozen. Coda's mouth was open, as though he had just been about to respond when he'd been stopped. The sound of the sand hitting the ground was gone, and he couldn't even hear breathing from anyone. Spirits spoke louder now, louder and louder, making his head pound until - suddenly - they ceased completely. Alex approached the frozen trio, flashing a hand in front of each face to see if they might be paralyzed. No. It were as though time had been stopped completely.

Alex turned to look at his sister, and a pair of hands closed around his throat. His eyes darted to the source of the hands, and his sister glared right back at him.


	5. World Domination? - 5

**A/N: So, I love the premise of this chapter, but I'm not happy with my own quality of writing. Sorry babes, all of my babes that read this story, but I do hope you still ENJOY! :) I'd appreciate some reviews **COUGHCOUGHODESSACOUGHCOUGH**, thanks guys! ENJOY!**

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"Elise-" Alex choked, surprised at his sister's sharp grip.

He looked closer at her when she gave no response, and he noticed something odd. Her eyes were dull and glazed over, as though she was sleep-walking, and something about the way she glared. That was no Elise O'Connell glare, and Alex knew that from much experience. Alex was about to try saying her name again, when another voice interrupted.

"Oh, sister, put him down!" the voice was silky and soft, moving around the small cave as though air had captured it and was moving it about.

Alex struggled to move his gaze, eyes widening at who had spoken. _Impossible,_ he thought incredulously. The voice had come from Garrett the Thief, looking just as ugly as he had yesterday when he'd tried to kill Alex and Elise. He was too far away for Alex to look at his eyes, but he was willing to bet the man's were as dull as Elise's. That voice definitely didn't belong to the man, and Alex was impressed that whoever was in the man now could manipulate his voice box so.

"Why? He awakened us into this cursed world!" Elise growled in a deep, gruff voice.

"Yes, well, maybe it's time for Justice." Garrett replied smoothly, moving to stand next to Elise and looking Alex up and down a few times. "Besides, he doesn't look so bad."

"Friends-" Alex choked again, trying for a sarcastic grin. "No breath-"

"Oh, Wadjet, my dear sister, let him live! And the rest," Garrett begged, looking at Elise pitifully.

"You never told me why!"

"They could be of use to us, you know. He has the stone, he's very experience, you saw. So is that girl you're in. They obviously know very much about our past, and of this world's present."

"He wouldn't help. He is weak, as all humans," Elise sneered.

"Then he would be willing to help us to save _himself_ ,"

"I don't-"

"Just let him go, Wadjet. Don't make me get angry," Elise - Wadjet - looked at Garrett with contempt, but slowly released her hold on Alex's neck, who dropped to the ground gasping.

After a moment of regaining his breath and climbing back to his feet with trouble - that girl was strong - he regarded the two with interest. If Elise was Wadjet, that meant Garrett was Nekhbet, unless he had unlocked a _third_ goddess with that riddle yesterday. Hopefully that wasn't the case - ancient Egyptian goddesses were typically very moody. They were looking at him as well, and Alex thought it odd that he was being looked over by Elise and Garrett, though he had to put that aside for now.

"So, you're the cobra -" he pointed at Elise. "- and you're the vulture?" now his finger aimed to Garrett.

"Oo, I told you, sister!" Garrett - Nekhbet - said excitedly.

"Mortal-"

"Wait," Alex stopped Wadjet from speaking. "I need a favor before you continue,"

"A _favor_?" Wadjet spat, looking angry again. "Why would we owe _you_ a favor, when we just spared your life!"

"It's only small!"

"What is it, mortal?" Nekhbet asked kindly.

"Would you - well, can you? - exit my sister and that man? It freaks me out-"

"We cannot!" Wadjet said seriously.

"Oh, sure we can," Nekhbet smiled Garrett's ugly smile, and then the man collapsed onto the ground. Alex could tell he was dead, but he felt no mourning.

Above the corpse appeared a beautiful woman. Her hair was long, black, and silky, reflecting the light of the torches wonderfully. Her skin was of a faded brown, and she wore a golden headband that - on the part with her forehead - held a brilliant, red jewel. The woman's attire was all golden, wearing net over her exposed skin, with golden seams to cover her in some places. Old, Egyptian hieroglyphics were tattooed all down her shoulders, to her elbows. Alex tried to read them, only able to understand that they interpreted the story of Nekhbet. Her feet were bare all except the same black net that covered her from neck to toes. The golden bracelets rattled on her wrists. As Alex watched, her misty body began to solidify, until she was perfectly opaque. She looked perfectly ladylike, with litheness and beauty, face soft and welcoming, Alex was entranced. Wadjet was watching in disgust.

"Whoa…" Alex breathed, staring at her with wide eyes, and something seemed to stick itself in his throat. Wadjet let out such a snort that Alex nearly thought the Goddess had allowed Elise to surface for a moment. Still, he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

"Why do you always do that, Nekhbet?" Wadjet grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Do what?" the vulture goddess asked innocently.

"Fine, I'll leave your sister. But we need hosts. These bodies are not strong enough for battle-"

"Battle?" Alex had suddenly snapped out of his reverie and turned sharply to Wadjet, but the goddess did not reply. Instead, there was a sudden rush of breath from Elise, and the girl slumped to the ground. Fortunately, she seemed to be sleeping, her breath coming evenly.

Now, appearing next to the limp body of his sister, Alex saw Wadjet begin to form. The goddess was just as beautiful as her sister, just in a way that wasn't so attractive. Her face was more one of a warrior than the kind one her sister wore. Her attire was different as well. Instead of the elegant, golden seams Nekhbet wore, Wadjet was in Egyptian battle armor. Her chest and back were flanked by thin shields, and her legs were guarded by a mere strip of cloth each. She wore shoes made of iron, that looked incredibly uncomfortable, and her hair was cut short. The tattoos printed down her arm did the same thing as Nekhbet's - explained her story. The sword was laden with spikes and iron, a cobra shape jutting out of it. In some way, though she was intimidating, Alex thought she was perhaps more beautiful than Nekhbet. Just as Nekhbet had done, Wadjet's body slowly became solid, but once it had, the goddess looked rather out of place.

"Well…" Alex trailed off, looking between the two. "What about a battle?"

"No time to fill you in on the petty details," Wadjet waved her large hand dismissively. "Bottom line, we are to destroy the human race and start from scratch. You will be our servant. There you are,"

"Before this whole, well, world domination plan is executed, could you perhaps do me another small favor?" Alex asked, glancing back at the three people who were still frozen in time.

"Must I?" Wadjet complained.

"Oh, sister, just oblige." Nekhbet urged, smiling kindly back at Alex.

"Fine," and Wadjet - looking extremely put out - waved her hand and the there was sound.

"That's scar-" Coda was saying, but he cut off at the sight of the two beautiful goddesses.

Alex jumped a bit, not quite expecting such a harsh return of sounds. There was a sound that seemed like a ton of sand being dropped at one time, the speech from Coda, and the spirits began to whisper again. It hurt Alex's head, and for a moment, his eyes got fuzzy. The time wasn't stopped for _that_ long was it? He didn't think it had been so long, but if the noise affected him so incredibly, it couldn't have been for only a few moments. Alex felt someone slide up beside him, and he glanced backward to see Giovanna was standing close to his shoulder. He looked at Nekhbet for the pure reason of distracting himself from Giovanna.

"Who are they?" the woman whispered, ruining Alex's attempts.

"Goddesses."

"Godde- be serious, O'Connell,"

"Call me Alex," he mumbled back, not able to resist looking back at her. Why was it that Nekhbet - in all her goddessy glory - was still nothing compared to some Italian who didn't know how to explore? "And I'm being serious."

"Your partner is frightened, _Alex_ ," Wadjet sneered, looking smug all the same.

"Can't you understand why? You're two goddesses that, to them, appeared straight out of the air. They don't realize time was stopped,"

"I see,"

"Time was stopped?" Lavet questioned nervously.

"For quite a while, I suspect," Alex confirmed, then looked back to Wadjet. "How long exactly?"

"A few hours, at most. I haven't used my powers in centuries, I'm quite rusty."

"Very impressive, I must say,"

"Don't flatter me, mortal," Wadjet growled.

"Well, since I'm getting nowhere with flattery, let me try abruptness." Alex suggested, eyeing Wadjet and Nekhbet anxiously. "I want details about this world domination scheme before I agree to anything."

Wadjet and Nekhbet exchanged a look of exasperation, for once sharing the same emotions towards the 'mortals'. However, after speaking with their eyes and probably their thoughts (who knew what goddesses could do?), they turned and let out a long sigh in unison.

"If you insist on wasting more time," Wadjet began, rolling her eyes and going on to speak again.


	6. She Who Brings Bloodshed - 6

**A/N: This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but I had a particular place I wanted to stop this chapter before I even began, and I got to that point quicker than I thought I would. However, I think it's quality. :) So, ENJOY! And I would REALLY appreciate a REVIEW! :) ENJOY!**

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As Wadjet began to speak, her body dissipated and steamed around the small cavern for a moment before disappearing completely. On the rock behind where Wadjet had just stood, a picture appeared. It formed the rock and changed it to a moving image of four people in a chariot. Pulling the chariot was a variety of golden creatures - some animals, some species that no longer existed today - and a long horn stuck out from the front of the chariot, separating the flying animals and chaining them all to the horn. On the end of the chariot with the animals stood Nekhbet, but instead of the beautiful face she wore now, her head was that of a vulture's. This seriously lessened her attractiveness level by about a hundred. On the other side was Wadjet, her head was that of a cobra, which didn't seem far off for her, and didn't really do much to change her appearance.

Alex shifted his gaze to Nekhbet, but she had disappeared as well, and the picture on the stone had become brighter and larger. The third person on this chariot - that was moving slowly along the picture, clouds passing by it at leisure - was a man. He sat proudly and tall in the center of the ride, and it was obvious this chariot was his. He had the head of a ram, but at certain angles or ways the light hit his person, the head would change to many different things, making Alex's head hurt if he looked for too long. The last woman on the chariot was someone Alex recognized easily. She was one of the most famous ancient Egyptian goddesses, and her story was quite amusing if you read it enough times. The woman was tall, lithe, and muscles rippled across her skin. It was an odd sight, to see muscles rippling under human skin, but that is what happened. She was wearing an outfit that resembled both Nekhbet's and Wadjet's, and her head was that of a lioness. It was goddess that Ra created to protect him. She was the goddess of all violence and bloodshed. Sekhmet.

"Long ago, our paths were set clearly out in front of us -" Alex looked at Wadjet's image as she began to speak, and the goddess in the picture was staring straight at him. "We were to stand firmly by Ra's side as he passed over the world in his sun chariot. Nekhbet making sure Lower Egypt was calm and orderly, I would do the same for Upper Egypt. Sekhmet would protect Ra from any evils that tried to attack him." at this, Alex looked at Sekhmet, and he swore that the goddesses gaze flicked towards him briefly, then back ahead, as though she were just like Ra, unaware a story was being told. A shiver of fear ran down Alex's spine.

"But, despite our own naïve thoughts, it is not how our lives would continue." Nekhbet picked up the story then, and Alex forced himself to look away from the lion goddess. "It was this night, after our journey across the sky had ended and the gods and goddesses of other reigns -" the sisters sneered at the mention of other gods and goddesses. "-started their own cycles, that we were punished. Sekhmet told Ra that Wadjet and I were plotting against him. She said that we were rallying our regions of Egypt together and would soon kill him."

"Was it true?" Giovanna asked, looking with wide eyes as the goddesses told their story.

"Of course it wasn't true!" Wadjet snarled. "We were forever loyal to Ra!"

"And Ra knew this," Nekhbet went on more calmly, giving her sister a gentle look. "He told Sekhmet that if she ever told a lie as such ever again that he would lock her up. The lion inside of our enemy did not like this. She came to my sister and I and tried to con us into hating Ra. She wanted us to plot against him, but we knew of her plan. We sensed her bad feelings, and did not go along. To punish us-"

"Sekhmet attempted to kill us. She was enraged by our refusal and charged." Wadjet finished.

"Then what?"

"As the Goddess of Justice and Time, I punished her the only way I could. I cursed her with centuries of being locked up. She could not come out and defend her Ra anymore, nor could she send her wrath down on anyone. Sekhmet would be stuck in time, locked in the very temple we had stood, until someone read the lines off of her sacred stone." Wadjet explained, sharing a look with Nekhbet, who picked the story up from there.

"When Ra found out what we had done, he cursed us. He gave us the same punishment as Sekhmet," Nekhbet looked away from Alex and his friends to the lion goddess in the center of the chariot, standing tall and protectively in front of Ra. "While we were in our confinement, Wadjet and I swore we would seek vengeance. After all, justice is Wadjet's specialty."

"Wait," Alex moved closer to the picture, beginning to understand their mission. "You don't want to destroy the world, you want to destroy Egypt,"

"What?" Giovanna came up beside of Alex, looking confused. "Why?"

"Because they want to punish Ra for what he did to them." Alex said, frowning between the goddesses. "You want him to see that the curse of Nebti didn't only punish you-"

"A clever boy," Nekhbet smiled, and Alex noticed her vulture head flicker to a human head very briefly, and then back to it's ugliness.

"Yes. You were right, sister, he will be of use to us," Wadjet agreed.

"But, Nekhbet, you are the Goddess of rebirth-"

"Yes," Nekhbet growled, finally moving from her spot on the chariot. She disappeared from the image and her human form appeared again in front of him, no vulture head this time. "And this is the rebirth of Nebti. We will destroy Ra for his wrongdoing. We are the most powerful sisters in ancient Egypt! He will need to watch his back-"

"But, is Ra even still around? It's been thousands of years since you were locked up! Does anyone still believe in the ancient gods?"

"If they did not, my sister and I would not have been summoned from the purgatory." Nekhbet assured, smiling.

"And because it has been thousands of years, we need your help, Alex O'Connell," Wadjet added, appearing beside of her sister. The picture, however, did not fade, but the sister goddesses did not seem to notice. Instead, the two began muttering to one another regarding the group of mortals that were here. Alex saw that Elise was waking from her sleep and struggled to stand. He was going to go over and help, but movement made him look back at the image on the wall. Just as he feared.

The lion goddess was shifting in the picture. Instead of watching the area for enemies, as she had been doing during Wadjet's presentation, she was grinning a lioness grin at Alex. A deep growl emitted from her throat, and then the picture was gone, torches went out, and the cavern was cast into darkness. The growl did not go, however, and when fire returned to the torches, another person had joined the group. She looked exactly as she had in the moving picture, but this time, her head had changed from a lioness to that of an angry woman. Her hair was golden and flew around her head as though a strong wind had caught her up. The woman's mouth was open in a snarl, and she held a sharp spear. Wadjet and Nekhbet both seemed to lose their stability. Wadjet's head flickered between cobra and woman, while Nekhbet's shifted from vulture to woman. Both goddesses took a few steps back, glaring at the lion goddess.

"Hello, _friends_ ," Sekhmet roared. "It's been so _long_ since we met!"


	7. Sekhmet - 7

**A/N: might not be up to my usual standards, but I think it's a decent chapter! READ AND REVIEW PLEASE! ENJOY:)**

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"Hello friends! It's been so long since we met!" Sekhmet roared, and that's the last thing Alex remembered before waking up in an unfamiliar place.

He jumped up and looked around frantically. His friends were nowhere to be seen, and the walls of this room were the same as the one where Sekhmet had been summoned. There was nothing else in the 'room', and the only door seemed to have been caved in. The only thing he could think happened was Sekhmet had kidnapped him. Either that or the other two goddesses had only managed to save him and his friends were now in the hands of the lion goddess. That outcome was a lot less happy for Alex, so he believed fully he had been kidnapped. Perhaps it was because he'd been closest to Sekhmet, or maybe she saw he was the leader of the group. Or, she had noticed Nebti were going to get Alex to help with their plans.

"Bloody hell," he muttered angrily. "First dead guys and now goddesses? When will this end for us?"

Alex scrambled to his feet, kicking sand everywhere, and looked around again. There really was no way to get out of here, unless he tried that cave-in, though he doubted it would work. Nonetheless, he hurried over to the opening and began clawing at the rocks, trying to move them out of his way. Before he could get even one of the rocks out of his way, a voice spoke behind him.

"Trying to escape already?" it snarled. "And I haven't even told you my evil plan yet."

Alex spun around to come face to face with the lion goddess. Her hair - which had been in a flurry before - was not flat against her head, an egyptian headdress on her head. She was no longer wearing body armor, but instead an outfit similar to Nekhmet's, and Alex cursed himself at how beautiful the goddess was. Goddesses were meant to be beautiful, but damn it! If they're evil, make them ugly, it'd make it easier to hate them.

"Of course I wasn't," he laughed nervously. "I was going to look for you."

"Oh, how flattering," Sekhmet sneered. "You are Alex, correct?"

"And you're Sekhmet, lovely to meet, but, um, I have another meeting today...if you could...let...me go…" he trailed off, moving slowly to the right, sliding against the wall as she advanced towards him.

"I have to keep you here, darling," she said, grabbing his chin in her hands and stopping his movement across the wall. "You're too dangerous if those two get a hold of you. I'll feed you...eventually," she laughed, letting go and turning away from him.

Before Alex could think of a reply, she was changing forms. Instead of the beautiful goddess she had just been, now Sekhmet was growing in size. She was becoming twice the size of an elephant, and how she stood in this tomb was beyond Alex. Her head changed from human to lioness, and her narrowed eyes squinted in sudden fury. Her hands went from having nails to harboring claws, and they came out of their sheaths with a loud ' _ching'_ sound.

"I've changed my mind," she laughed maniacally. "I think I'll kill you instead!"

Alex's eyes widened and he dove to the side just in time for her to blast a hole in the wall. Unfortunately, that only caused another cave in, blocking his exit still. He looked around the cave frantically, avoiding looking at the fury that increased in her eyes, trying to find a spot that could be blown apart and not cave in on itself. The fact that this was an underground tomb pretty much shot all of those possibilities. His eyes fell again on the natural doorway, and he had it. If he was close enough, he could dive underneath the rocks before they caved in on the door. Locking her in briefly and giving him time to run for his life.

"You won't kill me with a shot like that," he taunted, silently begging himself to shut up, but knowing this was the only way to get her to shoot where he wanted.

At her next shot, he dodged again, this time rolling to a stop in front of the doorway. He stood up straight and rigid, glaring at her stubbornly.

"I thought you were the goddess of destruction, not the goddess of bad shots!" he shouted. He saw her rage and then she aimed, and he barely got to the side before the rocks were blasted out of the way. With ringing ears and a gash on the side of his head, Alex dove quickly through the open doorway, just before the rocks realized they had space to fall and it caved in again.

Alex knew he had no time to stop and examine his wounds. Instead, he struggled to his feet and began to run as fast as he could down the corridors. After a few mis turns and circles, Alex realized he was in the same tomb from before. He knew this tomb. And he knew where the exit was. Just as he turned the corner to where he knew the exit would be near, he slammed right into another person. Without thinking, his arms went out and around that person, turning himself to land on his back. Too many times he'd run into Elise and had to save her from getting harmed, making this action habit. When he looked up, he saw it was Giovanna, and her eyes widened.

"Alex!" she exclaimed, crawling off of him. "Where have you been!" she insisted.

The rest of them were huddled around now, looking relieved to see him. Elise nearly tackled him with a tight hug, and he felt her tears hit his neck as he hugged her back, sighing in relief that she was alright. If anything had happened to her, he would have done something very stupid. After the reunion, Elise took a few steps back, clearing her throat.

"I was-" but Alex was caught up when an angry roar echoed down the corridor.

"THERE YOU ARE!" it said. Alex spun around to see Sekhmet standing at the end of the way, pointing her staff at them and he knew exactly what would happen next.

"GET DOWN!" he screamed, grabbing Elise and Giovanna - who were closest to him - and dragging them down to the ground. The other two men dove down as well, barely missing getting hit by Sekhmet's blast.

"Get to the exit, FAST!" Alex shouted, helping everyone to their feet and urging them the other way. The group darted towards the exit, scrambling up the stairs as quickly as they could without tripping all over each other. They didn't stop to collect their supplies in the big room, but kept going until sunlight blinded them and the camels clucked in greeting, wanting food.

Below them, the ground shook, and they had nowhere else to run but out. Forgetting their camels, the five of them darted across the desert, making the stupidest decision they possibly could. Thankfully, just as Alex looked back and saw Sekhmet emerging from the tomb in all of her goddess glory, two other women appeared in front of them. Their eyes glowed - literally glowed - and without waiting, they spoke in unison and the desert around Alex disappeared. Nebti were rescuing them.


	8. Done Deal - 8

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update! I had a little rut of creativity! :) Love all my babies.**

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Alex stumbled to the ground as new surroundings became visible. The rest of his party tumbled as well, not prepared for such an exit as they had received. Nekhbet and Wadjet were flickering between their human and goddess forms, seeming to be exhausted. They flickered once more, before they became solid again, but the exhaustion didn't disappear. Wadjet looked the weakest, and she barely made it to a chair before collapsing. Nekhbet whispered something to her briefly and then turned back to Alex and his friends.

"You're hurt, Alex," she said with concern, helping him to his feet.

"Yeah, thanks to the lovely Sekhmet," he brushed her hands off of him and went to help Elise and Giovanni from the ground. "It's just a little cut, I've had worse."

"Worse? You've had it worse than _this_?" Giovanni asked in disbelief.

"When I was eight I was kidnapped by a couple of ancient mummies brought back to life, and I watched my mother murdered," Alex told her with a small grin. "And not to mention the time I was chained up by an old Egyptian sorcerer-" Giovanni was looking at him with wide eyes as he went on, but Wadjet interrupted them.

"Though your toils are amusing, O'Connell, we have something important to discuss,"

Alex turned to look at her, seeing that she was finally back on her feet again, yet she still looked very weak. He shifted over to her, frowning. The cut on his head stung suddenly, and he took a step back, having a feeling the goddess was the cause of that.

"You sure you're up for Egyptian destruction right now? You look rough."

"I haven't used my powers in centuries, mortal, it will take time until my full powers are restored,"

"I have a question," Elise piped up, moving forward from where she had been standing by Coda. "are you two still worried about Ra, or are we going to focus our energies on Sekhmet?"

"We?" Nekhbet looked at Elise quizzically. "We are enlisting the help of your brother, and that is it. We won't be needing you."

"Excuse me, Miss-I'm-A-Perfect-Goddess-" Elise growled, stomping to stand face to face with Nekhbet. "-but where my brother goes, _I_ go!"

"Yes, she does. I wouldn't have it any other way. Additionally," Alex looked back at Giovanni, Lavet, and Coda. "Those three are to work with us as well. I got them into some trouble with a goddess, I can't just let them go about their normal business, Sekhmet will kill them. You know that as well as I do."

"What do we care if a few mortals die?" Wadjet growled, rolling her eyes.

"If you want my help, you'll care a lot."

Nekhbet let out a small laugh and turned to her sister, leading the other goddess out of earshot. Alex watched them curiously, wondering what they had to discuss so secretly. His vision was impaired when Elise suddenly stepped in front of him and started worrying the cut on his head. He grunted, trying to push her away, but she slapped his hand and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket to wipe at the blood, that was all dried up by now. She went to clean some dirt off of his head, and he winced away, not realizing a bruise was hidden under the dirt.

"Gah, you look horrible, Al," Elise murmured, taking a step back.

"Apparently he's dealt with worse," Giovanni puffed. "Why would a little cut matter?"

"Because little cuts have almost cost us both our lives before," Elise snapped back. "You think he's the only one who's had near death experiences?"

"I just-"

"Just figured, huh? Well, like I said, where Alex goes - _I_ go."

"And most of the time it's Elise that saves my skin," Alex laughed, escaping his sister's worrying hands and moving to stand between Lavet and Giovanni. Elise grumbled something under her breath but replaced her napkin to her pocket and crossed her arms in an irritated way just as the two goddesses approached the group again.

Nekhbet offered her hand to Alex, who took it and shook it tentatively. Nekhbet let out a soft laugh and slid her hand up his wrist slowly, gripping his forearm. Alex shivered slightly at her soft touch, and he followed her example, gripping her forearm as well. The movement was not unfamiliar to him, it was something often used when sealing deals in many cultures. Alex didn't particularly remember this being in Ancient Egyptian culture, but Nekhbet was a goddess - she watched more than just the Egyptians, in different forms. Wadjet had mentioned they were having trouble with stability, perhaps her many cultures were forming together into one.

"It is done. Alex, you and your friends are all welcome to help us in our mission."

"I have a small tweak," Alex suggested, not releasing her arm, but holding it tighter when she tried to pull away. "We destroy Sekhmet, then Ra - if you so please - but if you try to hurt Egypt as a whole, I will find a way to kill you both."

Nekhbet exchanged a look with her sister and their eyes glinted briefly, and she turned back to him.

"Fine." she said, and it was the first time her voice had changed from gentle to the deep throated one of a vulture. "We'll play by your rules, Alex O'Connell."

Alex didn't like the way she said that, and for good reason. Immediately after their arms broke, his eyes widened and his hands went to his throat as the feeling of suffocation overcame him. He stumbled back two steps into Lavet - who caught him sloppily - and gasped for breath. Nekhbet watched him with narrowed eyes as he struggled, while Wadjet watched her sister carefully. After a few moments of his struggles, Wadjet waved her hand once and suddenly Alex could breathe again and he fell to his knees, coughing roughly.

"There is no need for such drastic measures, dear sister," Wadjet spoke solemnly. "We will have our chance, let him live for now."

"For now," Nekhbet growled.

Alex wanted to respond and question them about that last line ' _for now_ ', but his words wouldn't come out. His throat still felt as though it were closing in, but his breathing was normal again. What the hell were these goddesses capable of? He looked up at them with pleading eyes, but they were looking behind him, eyes angry. He struggled to his feet and faced the opposite direction.

 _Of course,_ he groaned, staring straight into the eyes of Sekhmet. This lion was not going to give up so easily.


End file.
